


The Little Gaara

by RawripopsArentLollipops



Category: Naruto
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-18 04:13:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28860882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RawripopsArentLollipops/pseuds/RawripopsArentLollipops
Summary: Still writing this one as of 01/19/21 (Gaara’s birthday!!) but figured I post some because of the date :)It’s the little mermaid, but with some twists
Relationships: Gaara/Kankurou (Naruto), Gaara/Rock Lee, Gaara/Temari (Naruto)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 19





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Birthday Gaara  
> Also, there is fanart that I was basing this on, but idk how to put pictures on ao3 with my phone or if it’s possible so... oof
> 
> Edit: an anon gave me the sources in a comment, I’m copying and pasting from that comment
> 
> The top art is by lucrecia on Deviantart: https://www.deviantart.com/lucrecia/art/I-need-a-psychiatrist-26970604  
> The rest are by Hikanon1336: https://hikanon1336.tumblr.com/

The sun felt so good beating down on his salt-soaked body, and the rock was warm underneath him as well. It was such a welcome change from the cold depths in which he lived, a forbidden pleasure. He writhed against the worn smooth stone, a small squeak leaving his lips as he stretched his arms over his head. He could get used to tanning, between the warmth and the steady rolling of the waves-

“Don’t get too comfortable. It’s dangerous up here,” Kankuro reminded gently from where he was sitting on the edge of the rock, eyes towards the horizon. Temari chuckled as she laid on her belly next Gaara, shoulders rolling as she got comfortable,

“You’re so tense. Not much happens this far from the mainland.” Gaara glanced around, taking in the sights. It was mostly ocean surrounding them, but there was a small island to his right and, behind that, the mainland. For that reason, the island was often used as a boundary that they weren’t allowed to pass. Though, that had never been explained to him. He had spent much of his free time warm in the sand of that island, or tanning on these rocks nearby it, but he had never been around to the other side, and had only glimpsed the mainland from a distance.

“What makes the mainland different from here?” He asked monotonously, the pinkish fins of his mostly red tail splashing absently in the water. His gaze was still fixed on the island; he didn’t need to see his siblings’ reactions to know they would be shocked by the question.

“It’s forbidden!” Temari answered quickly,

“So are body transformation jutsus, but father’s mistresses aren’t being punished for it.” She couldn’t stop herself from snickering at that one. They regularly made fun of his mistresses together. Kankuro’s face held an amused expression for a moment, but his tone was serious as soon as it disappeared,

“The waters surrounding the mainland are dangerous. There’s nets and hooks all over, and humans who will try to capture you-” Gaara’s interest peaked and it showed clearly. Kankuro sighed, switching his approach,

“Almost everyone who goes there disappears. Sometimes, parts of them wash out to the open ocean where we can find them.” Gaara nodded mutely. He dropped the subject, but still turned over to lay on his belly instead so he could stare absently at the island. Here, with the safety of his siblings and the warmth of the sun, he let his eyes flicker closed, choosing, as he did so seldom, to sleep.

There were stars blooming like flowers in the sky, except faster and in colors that didn’t seem natural. They only lasted for a few seconds at a time, and were accompanied by loud booms he had never heard before. Kankuro and Temari were trying to get him back into the water in the haze, but he couldn’t pay attention to them. 

Just peeking out from behind the island was a massive ship, the likes of which he had only ever seen at the bottom of the sea before. And he certainly hadn’t seen those strange stars launched off of one before.

One of his siblings, he wasn’t sure which, yanked him off of the rock and into the water, pulling him down deep.

He still couldn’t help but be drawn to the surface of the water, to the lights and the ship and the creatures which inhabited it. He didn’t know what could steer something like that, but he had known from his own time exploring broken ships at the bottom that it must have had at least a dozen humans to sail it. Gaara had seen a few in portraits and knew from those that they at least looked similar to merfolk on their top half, but he hadn’t been able to see the bottom. He needed to see one for himself.

He glanced down at his siblings and could see them urging him to flee to deeper water, but before he could think, he was swimming full speed towards the boat.

His head just barely broke the surface tension of the water when his need was fulfilled. There, standing by the railing, was a human with one of the most ridiculous haircuts he had ever seen. It was like someone had taken a bowl, put it over his head, then used a sharp object to get off everything that didn’t fit inside of the bowl. His eyes lowered to the gap in the railing where he could see two..  _ pegs?  _ They were sticks of flesh covered in cloth, with slightly rounded knobs at the ends. The cloth covering his fleshy pegs was green, and covering his chest was red. From what Gaara could see of his arms and chest, it looked like that of merfolk almost exactly. The only difference was that he didn’t have gills on his neck. Was it possible that humans could only breathe air?

Another human came to stand beside him, one with the same haircut, but softer cheekbones. He looked much younger, around Gaara’s age maybe, and thinner too. He wore black fabric on his lower half and white over the top of his body. There was a light brown strip of it tied around the top of his black cloth. Gaara could feel his face growing warmer as the ship came closer, but he couldn’t understand why. He found himself captivated by the younger man’s expression when he laughed or by the way he leaned his entire upper body over the edge of the rail, inviting danger by the precarious manner in which he balanced his body on the edge. He had gotten close enough to hear their conversation,

“Lee-” the older man started,

“I know you wish for me to find a bride, father, but I just want to enjoy my youth while I have it. If I meet someone along the way, so be it, but I am not searching.”

“I know you are not looking for a female companion, but, as a prince, you must join with someone soon. I am not as young as I once was and I wish to see you happily married before I retire.” Gaara took in the information eagerly, wanting to know everything he could about Prince Lee. Lee’s fingers had tightened on the rail, and then released at the beginning, as if he felt off-put by the request, or a part of what his father had said. 

“Father-”

“You don’t need to produce an heir. You can adopt one as I did for you, but I don’t want you to make the same mistakes I have. I played around with too many for too long and so it’s only fair that I was left with no one. It’s my only regret to this day. You will not make the same one. You will remain a prince until you find someone suitable to rule by your side.”

“I understand, sir.” Gaara’s heart was racing for reasons he couldn’t quite understand as he continued to watch from so close. He could have followed the ship for hours, but as soon as Lee’s eyes turned towards the water, he dove down deep. He could see the Prince’s confusion through the blur of the water as he looked up from the depths. He swam behind the ship sticking close to it as he surfaced again to listen,

“I think I saw someone in the water,” the Prince said quietly to his father, looking concerned down at the waves.

“That splash? It was a big, red fish.”

“But it looked so much like a person-” the king began to laugh, his body shaking with each inhale before the sound,

“You’ve been on this ship for too long if you’re seeing mermaids, Lee. They’re just an old sailor’s tale.” Gaara felt a strange pain in his chest, but with no visible cause, and a sudden desire to leave. He took one last look at the human prince before diving down into the sea, holding Lee’s confused and disappointed expression in his mind as he swam in the direction of his siblings. He was too focused on the details of the prince’s face, like the dimple on the right side of his crooked smile or the bushy eyebrows that hid partially behind his bangs, to notice when he was upon them. It wasn’t until Temari placed her hand on his shoulder that he even realized they were next to him.

“What happened?” Gaara didn’t bother answering Kankuro with the events of the night, nor the new feelings he had. There was only one thing his siblings would find interesting,

“The humans.. they don’t think our kind exists beyond rumors.”

“And they just happened to be talking about merfolk?” Temari asked suspiciously, her hand tightening on his shoulder. Kankuro seemed to mirror Temari’s emotional expression, but there was more to it than suspicion on both; some form of anger, perhaps.

“You let them see you?!” She accused, looking around as if they would be able to dive to these depths.

“Temari-” Kankuro’s interruption was met with a sharp look. He smiled to break the tension as he dragged them to the ocean floor, “look, it doesn’t matter. The past can’t be changed, but it won’t happen again. Right, Gaara?” He nodded, even though he didn’t agree. Temari sighed, letting all of that previous emotion wash cleanly from her face. She and Kankuro looked at each other before turning their attention back on him. They seemed..  _ excited _ .

“What did they look like?” She asked quickly, but in a whisper as if anyone around could hear them.

“Their bodies were like ours except they didn’t have a tail, nor gills.” Temari took a moment to imagine that while Kankuro didn’t miss a beat in asking,

“What did their legs look like? The things they have instead of tails.” Now it was his turn to be suspicious,

“Like sticks of flesh that can bend at an angle, with perpendicular flat things at the end.” Both of his siblings took a moment to blush, sharing another look between themselves before they asked.

“Did you see…” Temari trailed off,

“Was it…” Kankuro tried to ask, confusing him further. Temari blushed deeper,

“What did it look like?” She asked boldly, Kankuro nodding along like Gaara was supposed to know what they were asking. He stared, waiting for a more specific question,

“Their..  _ mating organs _ ,” the brunette got out eventually, both of them way too close as they waited on an answer. Gaara felt his face heat up again as he pictured the prince’s figure.

“Well… he was wearing a black cloth over his..  _ legs _ .. but they were so similar to merfolk. I think it’s in the same place as..” they collectively stared down at their own closed off genitalia, faces red as they moved back from one another. Under slightly different circumstances, they would be drawn together like magnets, but this was too open. After a few moments, Kankuro cleared his throat awkwardly,

“We should head home before we miss curfew,” and neither of them could argue.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly don’t know when or if I’ll finish this one, but i have a few paragraphs of the fourth chapter written out, then five and six are done and the rest hasn’t been written yet.   
> I hope y’all will enjoy what I have for now anyways, things dont get nsfw until chapter four though and I had to guess on merfolk anatomy, but i think it’s pretty cool anyways
> 
> Hope y’all enjoy~

It had been twelve days since Gaara had last seen the prince Lee, and he couldn’t stop thinking about him. The entire event had brought all of his siblings closer together because, as it turned out, Kankuro had been collecting human trinkets from shipwrecks for years. Temari had the same habit specifically with objects made harder, smoother, and thinner than rock, but shaped deliberately. His sister had followed their brother one day and decided to merge their collections into one.

It was early the morning after Gaara swam to the ship that they had dragged him there, and he had the opportunity to join them in their shared interest. There were about two dozen portraits gracing the walls of this undersea cavern, and more items on the natural shelves than inside of their shared room at the castle. 

By noon, they were trying on the fabrics that humans wore- clothes, as they were apparently called. Temari normally wore shells over her breasts, but was now dawning a red and black cloth shirt instead, the color blending well with her dark tail and black fins. Kankuro wore a face paint of sorts, a darkish purple to match his tail and contrast his yellow fins, and a long sleeved black shirt down to just below the start of his tail. Gaara had tried on everything that was thrown at him, but nothing seemed right on him. There was a pink dress with white apron and a big bow that his siblings seemed rather fond of, but he personally didn’t like or dislike it, so it’s what he wore today. Almost two weeks after first trying it on. Temari and Kankuro’s clothes were fairly constant.

His pink frills and the ribbons of his bow followed him in a spiral as he danced carelessly with his siblings to a tune only in their heads. Temari smiled widely, spinning Gaara with a small laugh in an underwater waltz. Their hands interlaced on one side, Temari’s hand on Gaara’s hip and Gaara’s hand on Temari’s shoulder with the other side. Out of nowhere, Temari pulled him close in an embrace, kissing his tattoo fondly. 

“You’ve been acting so sweet lately,” she stated, looking down at him with a knowing smile and kind eyes. He felt his face heating up for what could have easily been the 100th time in the past twelve days.

“He’s been sneaking around lately~” Kankuro chipped in as Temari hugged the redhead close, petting his hair gently. Their sister hummed as she considered this new information,

“Boy or girl?” Gaara stiffened,

“Wh-What do you mean?” He seemed suddenly flighty, eyes flickering around as if he was considering his easiest escape route. His sister held him in her arms as she lowered them to a large lounging shelf, his brother following down. She pulled a metal pronged tool from where it hid in her tied hair and began to brush it out gently. It felt nice, relaxing even. Kankuro took one of his hands and began grooming his nails; he had never felt so pampered.

“Don’t keep secrets from us,” the brunette urged, “we’re not father.” Gaara sighed softly, a little reluctant but he knew he couldn’t avoid it.

“His name is Lee. Black hair, big eyes and bigger eyebrows.” He said it barely above a whisper, his entire face the same color as his hair. 

“When did you meet him?” Temari asked with a small giggle,

“Almost two weeks ago.. but I haven’t really met him.”

“What do you do then?” Kankuro seemed a little concerned as he asked,

“I watch him,” they both stared at him so he kept talking, “he likes to feed the seagulls every other day, and his smile when he’s alone is unlike anything I’ve seen.” Temari squealed, hugging Gaara from where she sat behind him until he was in her lap. Kankuro took his place on the rock, stretching out,

“You’re so adorable!” She exclaimed, covering the side of his face with kisses. Gaara didn’t know how to react so he focused on his hands, watching them bunch up the fabric of his dress. Kankuro seemed to pause for a moment before speaking, his gaze on the redhead, 

“He feeds seagulls?” Gaara’s eyes widened slightly before he slipped into a poker face, a thick lump forming in his throat. Kankuro continued,

“Is he a  _ merman? _ Or is he a  _ human _ .” Kankuro’s tone was harsh. He turned his head, glaring at his tail. Temari held Gaara a little closer, giving a sharp look to their brother. He could feel his blood pulsing through his veins.

“Why does it matter? It’s not like he’s going to approach this,  _ Lee _ , was it?” Gaara nodded, cuddling into Temari’s arms. He had never been this close to his sister before and he wanted to absorb it all before she stopped. He wrapped his arms around her waist, laying his head on his shoulder. He understood now what people meant when they said they wanted to cry. His entire left side felt a shooting pain rise in his chest and shoot down his arm. Each breath felt shockingly cold, and suddenly he was glad he was being held.

“If humans don’t kill him, father will. Then he’ll go for us next. He’ll find and destroy this place, and then probably kill one of us too for good measure. It’s too dangerous for him to go that close to the mainland.” Gaara’s breath noticeably hitched, bringing any further conversation to a standstill as he composed himself. Temari began to rub his back gently, fingernails gently trailing across his skin.

“I have to agree with Kankuro on a few points there. Father would overreact, and some humans are well-known for hunting merfolk. It’s hard to tell the difference between sailors and pirates,” she hugged Gaara a little tighter, “you can dream about him all you want, but we should put a plan in place to keep Father from finding out.” Gaara nodded, listening.

“Well, if he has to-” he could feel Temari’s glare in the way she tensed and hear it in Kankuro’s nervous gulp, “no more than once a week. And one of us needs to make sure Father is busy while he’s gone.”

“One of us should probably go along too, to make sure he isn’t seen.” Gaara didn’t want to hear those words come out of his sister’s mouth, or feel them as they formed in her throat.

“Neither of you know anything. If I get caught, I didn’t tell you, and you didn’t find out. Both of you are still afraid of me, and we share nothing.” He could feel Temari’s heartbeat change and hear sputtering as Kankuro tried to form words, but he wouldn’t have it. Gaara rose from his sister’s embrace, dropping the dress they had him wear as he swam out of the cavern. He hid behind a rock formation, ignoring their calls for him to come back. He waited for the sounds of his siblings to disappear in one direction before heading in the opposition. Gaara slipped into his well practiced poker face as he entered the palace, making a b-line for his and his siblings’ room. He just needed a little while to be alone and think his life through.

He knew that he really didn’t have a chance between his father, the laws of this country, and the low possibility that Lee would actually like him, but he would have preferred to fantasize as he was able to before that conversation. Gaara was not fond of reality.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I miscounted. Things get nsfw in the fifth chapter. Oof  
> Fourth is the one I’m still writing, dont really remember the chapter notes I wrote like 2 minutes ago for chapter two
> 
> Also, I found a way to add images. They’re at the end. I don’t have a source for the art, found it randomly on Pinterest one day then again on google a few minutes ago. If anyone knows the source, comment it below so I can edit these notes to include whoever made these pictures

Gaara floated passively beside the throne, his mind millions of miles away from whatever lecture his father was spewing at him and his siblings. It was almost the same every morning they were required to attend, something about keeping up appearances, being marriage material, submission to their father’s will; etc. He stopped listening to the lectures years ago.

His eyes flickered to his siblings who stood together across from him, on the other side of the throne. Gaara hadn’t been sleeping in the room he had shared with them, or more accurately, existing there at night, since their conversation nearly a week ago. He hardly slept anyways, so if he needed to get something from there, he waited until he could hear both of their snores. He didn’t see them in the mornings either on account of his hiding from them. Nor the afternoons as he now avoided the one place they would be in their free time without him.

They had all had to keep straight faces while in the presence of their father, but that hadn’t stopped them from learning how to communicate with just their eyes and fingertips. Temari blinked three times. That meant three syllables. Her pointer and middle fingers formed a circle with her thumb against her side. That signal had two meanings, but both were probably intended.  _ Are you okay? We should talk. _ Gaara turned his head towards the king. They couldn’t communicate without sight, at least, not like this.

“I’ve been getting reports of a redhead merperson swimming around the island.” His statement was more a questioning accusation than a statement as he glared at Gaara.

“What do you know about that?” He didn’t slip from his poker face for a second as he answered,

“That is where I go to get warm. I stay near the bottom in the deepest parts of the shallows. Is that a problem?” The king growled a warning before articulating,

“So you happen to go to the same area as one who is reported to sneak off towards the mainland and fry on the beach regularly?”

“No, Sir. I go to the water surrounding the island. Where’s the mainland?” He curled his hand into a fist on the arm of the throne,

“I hope you’re not lying to me,” Gaara let just enough confusion slip through to seem innocent, but didn’t speak. He has already been chatty as far as family norms went, so he would have to spend the rest of the time in silence. That was actually preferable by this point too; he could barely tolerate being in his father’s presence. They stayed there for at least an hour, in silence for most of it after the lecture ended. There was more silent urging from his siblings to speak with them after, but he refused to respond or even acknowledge that they were attempting to communicate with him.

When they were dismissed, he really did try to avoid them. As soon as he was out of his Father’s sight, he swam as fast as he could to the most random place he could think of, but it was like they already knew where he was going. He barely blinked before there was one on each side of him, arms linked with his as they pulled him to their secret cavern. Upon entering, he was restrained, his tail held down against the lounge rock with the weight of his siblings’ tails. He was trapped. Gaara turned his head.

“You have to let us in, Gaara.” Kankuro started, only to be met with a scoff. Temari brought his head to her chest, hugging him gently.

“Can you at least tell us why you’re shutting us out?” She asked carefully, as if the wrong words could break him. Gaara tested his siblings’ strength in a short struggle before giving up, “please?” 

“I don’t understand it either,” Gaara sighed, “I’m not good with emotions.”

“Well, maybe you can describe it, and Kankuro and I can figure it out for you?” He nodded hesitantly, thinking back to when it started. 

“There was a strange pain in the left side of my body, and it hurt to breathe. My eyes were burning too. Now, every time I see you two, I just feel cold inside.” Temari had a frown on her face. Even if Gaara couldn’t see it, he knew it was there. He couldn’t see Kankuro, nor know his expression.

“When did this start?” Her voice sounded slightly thicker than before. He turned his head down, hiding his face in her chest. Temari began to pet his hair, breathing slowly to soothe him. “When did you first notice it?”

“You said I couldn’t approach him.” He could feel Kankuro exhale slowly behind him before he spoke,

“It’s called heartbreak. It’s an overwhelming distress, a kind of sadness so extreme that it’s felt as physical pain. I didn’t mean to hurt you like that, I thought you had already accepted that you can’t be with him and dealt with the emotions that come with it.” Gaara shook his head as Kankuro’s tail lifted from him.

“It’s not your fault, he didn’t start feeling it until I said something about it too-” Temari started,

“I brought it up,” Kankuro interrupted, pulling the bend of his tail up towards his chest, “I’m sorry.” 

“Me too. Is there any way we can make it up to you?” Gaara was already feeling a bit lighter, like a weight he hadn’t noticed had lifted off of his chest, but he still felt a coldness deep inside of him. He didn’t know what could stop this feeling. 

“Would seeing the human make you feel better?” Gaara’s cheeks flushed at the thought, his tail twitching suddenly, “I overheard earlier that today’s his birthday, and he’s having a party on the water~” a small smile found its way to his face, expanding slightly when Kankuro nudged him. He nodded, slowly pulling away from Temari’s embrace. She lifted her tail from his, flexing the dark muscle a few times before settling it on the rock. Now, all they needed was a plan.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To answer a lot of questions, yes the sand siblings are involved. You’re not imagining it, I was hinting at it a lot in the first three chapters and because I got a stroke of inspiration last night, you guys get to see that in this chapter. It’s related to a merfolk law in this au that I explain in later chapters. Probably it’s probably around 6 or 7, but it might end up being the 10th chapter. I’m not really sure how long this one will be.
> 
> I’m honestly writing chapters out of chronological order. I’ve been having an easier time writing out whichever scenes I have a clear image of and then circling back to other parts when I’m in the mood for it. So I have like 5 chapters written out in addition to those that are posted, but they’re later chapters. ((Out of Context Spoiler: y’all are either going to despise Orochimaru in this one, or adore him.)) 
> 
> I realized that for one of the chapters, I wrote out “King Rasa”. That was a mistake, it’s Kazekage still for the story. It’s not an especially important detail but one I’d like to correct. 
> 
> Lastly, thanks to everyone who commented the sources. If my phone isn’t glitching, it should be up as an edit on the third chapter.
> 
> Hope y’all enjoy. Leave me tons of comments too, I live off of feedback

Gaara looked up at the ship above him, the one he had been trailing under for over an hour. It was slowly turning dark, and now would be the perfect time for him to rise up to the surface of the water, but…

“Nervous?” Kankuro asked, staring up at the ship with him, “we can always go back-”

“No.” Gaara said with an air of finality, “I want to see him again,” he added on a moment later in a softer tone than before. He glanced to the right at Kankuro then to his left at Temari; he could see the mix of fear and excitement on their faces. He didn’t allow himself a moment to hesitate before he darted up to the surface, popping his head out of the water with a small splash, his siblings following closely. They couldn’t see much of the main celebration, but they could see a few of the sailors through the bars of the railing and hear the songs clearly. The redhead swam a few slow laps around the ship, looking for the other prince as his siblings observed it from a small distance. 

It was just barely past sunset, when the sky was still orange with color, that Gaara finally spotted him. His head was thrown back in a laugh, the wind ruffling his hair. Gaara floated in place as he took in the sight of him, suddenly breathless. His siblings bobbed up beside him,

“Black hair..” Temari started as she followed Gaara’s line of sight,

“Big eyes..” Kankuro continued, catching on as well,

“Bigger eyebrows.” She finished, 

“Which one?” They asked in unison, staring at the king and the prince. They were both tall, with horrible black bowl cuts. Thick eyebrows, eyes bigger than they should be in proportion to their faces with prominent lower lashes.

“The younger one,” Gaara said sharply, irritated by their struggle. Wasn’t it obvious to them? He was lean, but still muscular. His skin looked soft, but still rough like he regularly worked out in the sunlight. It was probably why he was tan as well. His skin tone was darker than Gaara’s- just about anyone’s skin tone was darker than Gaara’s- but it was slightly uneven as well, to show that he hadn’t been intentionally tanning. When he moved just right, Gaara could feel the warmth radiating from his smile.

“There’s a wrinkle in his pants, near his..” Temari pointed out, the last word or two incoherently mumbled under her breath. Her cheeks were flushed pink, but Gaara’s eyes were focused on Lee’s lower half by now.

“If that’s an outline, it’s..” the redhead didn't finish his sentence, a blush rivaling his hair color painting its way down to his shoulders. 

“It would be a shame for him to be underneath with a size like that, but would that even fit in you?” Kankuro asked, moving behind his siblings to get a better view. Gaara’s hands went to cover the slit on his tail in a form of subconscious embarrassment as he considered that question. A second pair of hands joined his, a head on his shoulder,

“I don’t think it would even fit in me, and mine is meant for penetration,” Temari said barely above a whisper, her eyes not leaving the subject of their conversation.

“I think we should find out how deep Gaara goes,” Kankuro murmured into his wet hair, making him squirm slightly in the water. Temari’s hands were suddenly holding Gaara’s hands up,

“I think it would make a wonderful punishment. We can’t let him get away with touching himself; not while he’s still ours.” Gaara gasped softly at those words, then again as Kankuro’s fingers traced the outside of his slit, coaxing out an oily substance from him. He nodded quickly, knowing better than to speak without permission. Temari would usually speak dirty words to him and give him commands until he came with her name on his lips; Kankuro had learned his body so well that he could make Gaara cum in less than 5 minutes, or make him last through several hours of edging, while only using his hands. The redhead used to wish they could go farther; as recently as the past month, he wanted to try going all the way with both of them, but he was glad that they hadn’t for moments like these.

“Aww, look at that. He’s imagining his princy doing this. We don’t want to ruin his fantasy, do we?” Kankuro chuckled as a small, embarrassed whine bubbled out before Gaara could stop it.

“No, Tem, I don’t think we do,” he responded, easily slipping a finger into his slit with all the oil seeping out of him, but not going past a teasingly shallow probe. Gaara wanted to hide his face in his hands, but he couldn’t with how Temari held him by his wrists. His tail curled around Kankuro’s, using the darker tail as leverage to take the finger in deeper. He at least wanted it to touch his mating organ that hid inside of his special pouch. Temari’s tail slipped between them before wrapping around Gaara’s, her superior strength that came with several years more of swimming preventing Gaara from moving. 

“How naughty~” Kankuro teased, drawing a frustrated whine from the redhead, “I don’t recall teaching our baby brother to chase his own pleasure like that. Do you?” Temari shook her head, not taking her eyes off of Gaara,

“No, I don’t. I wonder if he tried this with someone else? What-”

“I haven’t.” Gaara interrupted quickly, the lower part of his body tilting slightly. He was being punished for his impatience and for what his siblings misinterpreted as a display of physical pleasure. Disobedience might be added to the list because he spoke without being spoken to first, but he was not going to take on the implications that came with Temari’s question. She smiled in amusement, eyes flickering down Gaara’s body before snapping back up to stare into his.

“Who taught you to react like this?” She asked, voice low in a way that made Gaara shudder. He couldn’t maintain eye contact as he answered,

“I read some books from the collection,” and his honesty was rewarded with a slow stroke up his still-hidden organ. He bit back a sound, his face burning as he looked up at the human prince. He noticed something strange in the process. The sun had gone down, but there was a yellow light radiating off of the ship that seemed to be spreading. He shook himself from his siblings’ arms, pushing past Temari to get a closer look.

“Something’s wrong,” Kankuro said quietly, voicing Gaara’s fear, “fire shouldn’t be spreading like that; not on a wooden ship-” those strange exploding stars filled the sky once again, filling the humans with panic. Several were now, frantically, trying to extinguish the flames, but the yellow-red glow only grew. It was too much for them. A few other humans took to evacuating. Gaara’s heart was racing; where was the Prince?

Parts of the ship broke off of it, sizzling as they reached the icy water. Heat radiated off of it and Gaara could only watch as progressively bigger pieces were spat out by the flames. It was several moments before he could see the prince. He felt a wave of relief as he watched Lee sprint from one side of the ship to the other, each time carrying a person or two who had been trapped under smoldering debris. He could see the king shouting to him, but nothing was audible over the crackle of the burning ship. Lee turned to look at the king for just a second when he was struck by a falling mast and knocked overboard. Gaara panicked, diving under the water and looking frantically for the prince.

He could just barely see his limp form sinking into the depths, past the drop off. He could feel Temari and Kankuro yelling at him through the water, but he was too far to hear; he barely felt the vibrations. Gaara’s body acted on its own, sand rising from the depths to push the prince up to shallower water as he swam full speed to reach the prince. He had read in one of the books that humans couldn’t breathe underwater and that they only had a minute or two before they would drown; he had no time to waste.

Gaara wrapped his arms around Prince Lee’s waist, both sand and his tail propelling them to the surface. They shot three feet out of the water when they breached the surface, making Gaara’s head spin. The harsh landing back into the water knocked some water from Lee’s lungs with a labored cough, but he didn’t seem conscious yet. He seemed to be breathing though, and that alone gave him hope as he started to swim towards the mainland.

Lee’s head rested on the crook between his neck and shoulder, his body laying almost entirely on Gaara’s. He could see his siblings’ horror and curiosity in his peripheral, but paid them no mind as he focused on the gentle breathing coming from the human he was holding. It tickled against his skin, but Gaara found himself to be rather fond of it. Perhaps halfway to the mainland, he felt a small boost. Temari was under one of Lee’s arms and Kankuro under the other, each carrying a fair portion of Lee’s weight. It felt like seconds before they reached the shore, his siblings peeling off just before they reached the shallow water. Gaara brought him closer and closer until was laid out on the sand then promptly collapsed on top of him.

He could hear the Prince’s heart beating and feel the steady rise and fall of his chest against his face. He felt so cold, yet so warm at the same time. Gaara noticed he was colder wherever his clothes touched, so it only made sense to remove them and lay them out in the sand. The entire process made him blush, and during it, he accidentally confirmed without seeing that this human had no pouch to conceal his reproductive organs; information that he tucked away to tell his siblings later. He vaguely wondered where they had wandered off to as he considered whether or not he should remove the short, soft pants that the prince wore on underneath his normal sized pants. 

Gaara decided to leave them on as he laid beside the Prince, his head on Lee’s shoulder and his arms draped around the man. He seemed to grow warmer with his clothes removed, even warmer as the sun started to rise. His breathing changed to something a little more labored, his throat visibly tightening. Gaara sat up quickly, lifting the prince’s head as he began to cough up water again. He vaguely noticed the sand assisting him in this, but ignored it in favor of helping the human prince.

“He’s waking up,” he said to himself, a sense of relief filling his body. He felt a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he watched the prince’s breathing even out. It was slightly faster than before, indicating that he was awake, and Gaara couldn’t blame him for not speaking. His head was bowed slightly; he had nowhere to look besides Gaara’s tail. Lee took a moment to follow the end of Gaara’s tail up to his face, a small blush on his face.

“Did you save me?” He asked after a moment, and Gaara could only bring himself to nod, his heart racing. One of the biggest smiles he had ever seen graced the prince’s face and suddenly Gaara was blushing as well,

“Thank you,” he said as he hugged Gaara close, but Gaara could barely hear the words over his heartbeat.

“Have I seen you before?” He asked as he pulled away from the hug, his hands resting gently on Gaara’s arms. They heard sounds in the distance, both of their heads whipping towards the source. Gaara was about to disappear when Lee grabbed his wrist,

“Can we meet again sometime?” He asked, his voice lowered. Gaara nodded, his face burning as he nodded one last time before slipping into the shallows and vanishing into the water.

He was close enough to hear Lee murmur, “I forgot to ask his name,” and then the voice of the King and another man, possibly a servant, call out to Lee from across the beach. He watched them for a moment more before diving into the waves, making a b-line towards the Kazekage palace. He was nearly late for the morning lecture.


End file.
